After this past weekend, Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan have both shown themselves to be among the top tier of Hollywood directors. They would be on anybody’s shortlist to take over a major franchise if they were inclined to do so, and there is one major franchise that’s going to need a new director before too long, James Bond.
Maybe it’s not surprising that in the lead-up to the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, both directors were asked about the possibility of being part of the franchise. While Christopher Nolan’s name has certainly been around on various fan wish lists for years, Gerwig is a name that a lot of people certainly didn’t have in Vegas odds before now. Speaking with Inside Film, Gerwig was quick to reject such an idea, if only because she is already signed on to direct the next Narnia movie for Netflix, but then after saying know, she took a step back and kept the door open, saying…
Oh god. No. We’re just going to stick with some lions, some dolls, for the moment. I mean, you never know. I really like Barbara Broccoli.
Greta Gerwig directing James Bond would probably break the internet, but maybe that’s why the idea is so interesting. A female American directing a James Bond movie is about as far from what we’d be used to getting as it would be possible to get. But maybe something entirely radical is what James Bond needs.
For his part, Christopher Nolan has never been shy about his love for the James Bond franchise. Nolan always seems to be rumored for the job when it comes up. and so when he was asked the question by Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Nolan was entirely honest that directing Bond would be an honor, so it’s clearly something he would consider. He said…
I love those movies, the influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. There’s no attempt to shy away from that. I love the films and it would be an amazing privilege to do one.
Having said that, Nolan also discussed the constraints that come with directing James Bond, something he likely really understands having directed a trilogy of Batman movies. Nolan clearly likes doing his own thing and telling his own stories, so even though he would be honored to direct Bond, it’s not a sure thing that if he would, even if he were given the chance.
Of course, before we talk about who will direct the next James Bond, there is the topic of who will be the next James Bond to figure out, and while that answer may come sooner than later, it’s far from clear exactly what the plan for the franchise is.
